Short Takes

By Richard Sachs Food is trendy these days. Cooking groups and gourmet clubs are popping up everywhere, and TV shows and social media are keeping up with ever more robust content. In fact, there are so many food and cooking programs that many new networks have been created, although it has been argued that the […]

Eastman residents joined with neighbors and friends to raise funds for a number of local charities in 2017. Using the concept of sweat equity, these groups parlayed favorite pastimes into fundraising activities. The following are a few of those efforts. PROUD TO “PROUTY” Mother Nature intervened in the 36th Annual Prouty held in Hanover in […]

By Stephen Handley. Jr. It’s been around since about 1540, but many folks are not familiar with the “chess on ice” game of curling that began in Scotland. The sport, which has a language all its own, gets its name from the movement of a heavy, polished granite stone as it travels towards its target. […]

By Craig McArt with Jean Ellis Some of Eastman’s Woodlands and Wildlife Committee members, acting out in Heath Forest or John’s Glen, may have on occasion been mistaken for Tarzan, but not likely for Jane. Yet Jane has had a presence here in Eastman. Maureen O’Sullivan, the beautiful Irish-born movie actress who starred in seven […]

By Beth Truax For the past 10 years, the Grantham Garden Club (GGC) has celebrated summer by touring four or five club members’ gardens. The biennial tours provide a different educational experience for the visitors who are able to see plants and designs unique to each garden. Of particular interest is the way in which […]

By Stephen Handley Jr. They may look like birdhouses or perhaps a realtor’s pamphlet box, but these DIY boxes hold something very intriguing—donated books. The little “houses” with two shelves of books and painted with artwork on the outside are part of the Little Free Library network and are usually found near a bench and […]

ON THE FAST TRACK TO CHINA Eastman Living reported in the winter 2017 issue that Eastman Member Rob Morgan had worked during the summer of 2016 as a camp coach with the Canadian National Women’s Development Team. Now, Rob is taking his skills across the ocean to China, where he has been hired as associate […]

When the 2017 NHWGA (New Hampshire Women’s Golf Association) Amateur Championship (State Am) kicks off on July 31 on the Eastman Golf Links (EGL), there will be some very familiar names in the draw. The “Schmidt girls” are coming home to play on what 2015 NHWGA Champ Lisanne Schmidt calls her “beloved Eastman Golf Links.” […]

By Judi Platt During 2016’s hot, dry summer, a phenomenon not seen on Eastman Lake in several years occurred. The lake acquired two new “islands” in the north end, midway between Heron Island and Loon Island. Called familiarly “floating islands,” these masses occur when decomposition at a water body’s bottom produces carbon dioxide and methane […]

FROM THE WHITE HOUSE TO COLBY-SAWYER COLLEGE As the 2017 recipient of The Jack Jensen Award for Excellence in Teaching at Colby-Sawyer College, Eastman resident Joan Huber delivered the commencement address on May to 275 new graduates. The award, the highest that the New London, NH college bestows, recognizes the fundamental importance of the quality […]

WOODSTOCK, VT Billings Farm and Museum Billings Farm, established in 1871, has been running as a non-profit since 1983. Best known for its educational programming, the farm is open to the public and is an amazing opportunity for all ages to experience Vermont’s farming traditions. You can explore an 1890 farmhouse and amazing displays of […]

By Elise Kendall Mark your calendars for this year’s plant sale to be held on Saturday, May 20 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the lower level of the Grantham Town Hall. The Grantham Garden Club (GGC) will once again sell annuals, perennials, and local organic vegetables and herbs, with proceeds going to GGC’s […]

By Lorie McClory Walkers and runners abound in Eastman, but not all of our roads—let’s face it, not many—were designed with that in mind. So, many years ago, Eastman began allowing people to use Eastman Golf Links (EGL) cart paths for those purposes on weekdays during hours set with everyone’s safety in mind. Those who […]

By Judi Platt Outdoor tennis season in New Hampshire is, to say the least, short—only a tad longer than the growing season. To usher in the season sometime in May, tennis loyalists in Eastman leave the comfort of the indoor clubs en force for the outdoor courts, often having to don long johns, gloves, and […]

By Brad Truax This past December, Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) in Quechee, VT graced Eastman with the release of a barred owl. VINS chose Eastman for the release to honor Eastman resident Richard Sachs who serves as a weekly volunteer at VINS. The barred owl, a suspected male (gender is a “guess” based […]

Before the Eastman Community Association (ECA) office moved to its new location in The Center at Eastman on Clubhouse Lane, I was given permission to look through items that had been collecting in the basement of the old office building on Draper Road over the years.

If you have ever attended the ChocolateFest organized by the Lake Sunapee Region Chamber of Commerce (LSRCC), you know what a chore it is to try and eat 12 samples of chocolate and then decide which one you liked best.

By Judi Platt On a brilliant Saturday in August, the Eastman Community Association’s (ECA) directors and staff received an email from Acting General Manager Brian Harding. The subject line read “Above and Beyond.” Brian has a habit of writing his emails with a light touch, even the ones about the most sobering of subjects, but this one about Chief Maintenance […]

By Samantha Jones Peppermint Patty’s has been an integral part of the Eastman community for many years. It existed before the South Cove Activity Center was rebuilt in 2009 and has been through many transitions since then to what it is now—a business opportunity for Eastman’s teens. Today, a summer job at Peppermint Patty’s is not just a job; it […]

Text and Photo By Richard Sachs Do you care about our local environment? Are you fascinated by the birds, animals, insects, and plants that share our surroundings? Are you looking for a a day trip for the family that combines entertainment, education, and exercise? If so, then the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) Nature Center is a gem waiting […]

By Norah Peterson When signs began to pop up at the end of Eastman Road announcing the opening of Grace’s Grantham Café last summer, the oft-heard question around the community was “Who is Grace?” Here she is—an adorable 1-year-old with her proud dad, Paul Holzer, and adoring uncle Adam McLain,co-owners of the café. Grace’s Grantham Café in the Grantham Greenway, opposite Eastman’s main entrance, opened […]

By Judi Platt September 11, 2001 dawned with a clear blue sky over the Northeast. The kind of sky that is synonymous with tranquility and comfort in the Dartmouth/Lake Sunapee Region. However, it wasn’t much later that morning that a dark cloud enveloped the entire nation as tragedies unlike any other known on American soil […]

CAROLINE WREN—RECIPIENT OF SCHOLARSHIPS FROM LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS Caroline Wren, a 2016 Lebanon High School (LHS) graduate, headed off to Colby College in Maine this fall to study environmental science and public policy, supported in part by two local non-profits: the Eastman Charitable Foundation (ECF) and the Grantham Garden Club (GGC). The recipient of the fourth annual ECF scholarship to support Eastman […]

By Craig McArt Charged with encouraging appreciation of our natural environment, Eastman’s Woodlands and Wildlife Committee entices us in its new booklet, Exploring In and Around Eastman, to take advantage of our beautiful surroundings. The publication encourages us to get out and explore the many natural and historical treasures that can be found in Eastman […]

By Peggy McCauley In recognition of his leadership, dedication, and skills, Jack Heller has received the Amelia Earhart Award from the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) of the Lebanon Composite Squadron. Jack, who will start his senior year this fall at Hartford High School in Vermont, serves as the Deputy Cadet Commander there. According to his […]

By Alice Ely On a blustery Sunday afternoon in May, hopeful Grantham Village School students crowded into the Meetinghouse at the New London Historical Society to learn the fate of their works of art in the biennial Young at Art competition. Twenty-four Grantham Village School students were among the more than 130 students from the […]

By Craig McArt I generally enter Eastman on Draper Road. After bearing to the right onto Old Spring Drive, I can imagine myself entering this photograph of Draperville, the small, company complex that was established here exactly 100 years ago by the Draper Corporation, a leading equipment manufacturer for the textile industry at the time. […]

By Judi Platt The atmospheric conditions had to be just right for this trip to Norwich, Vermont. The clouds that had lingered in the Upper Valley for several days opened up as if on cue and prompted me to once again throw out the suggestion to my son, daughterin- law, grandson, and husband to visit […]

By Jill Hull In 2012, the Eastman Women’s Golf Association (EWGA) began using its annual golf tournament and luncheon to raise funds for Turning Points Network (TPN) in Claremont. Plans are currently underway for the 2016 tournament and luncheon to be held August 25 to benefit the Sullivan County organization that provides critical services for […]

By Phil Webber How do you get six retired men to spend three days working outside in frigid January weather? A Let them use saws, drills, levels, ladders, and extension cords “just because.” B Promise them a lunch prepared by an award-winning chef. C Identify a good cause. D All of the above. Yup, the […]

By Peggy McCauley When I venture out on my first Heady Topper expedition, I find myself up earlier than I want to be and barreling north on I-89, equipped with a large cooler in the back seat. As I cross the spine of the Green Mountains, I begin to feel that I am racing against […]

By Judith Platt Tall meadow grasses gently waving in the breeze. Melodic chirping and peeping from nearby treetops. The haunting hoot of an owl as dusk descends. An errant moose browsing in the rough. A fox slyly eyeing the bipeds that come clutching iron rods to propel tiny balls through the clear Upper Valley air. […]

By Alice Podesta Eastman’s Women’s B team had a successful 2015 season in the Community Tennis Association (CTA). After the first four matches, the team found itself in 9th place out of the 10 teams participating in the Upper Valley CTA’s summer league. Eastman rose in the division standings, winning its final five matches and […]

By Judy McCarthy The Grantham Garden Club’s annual plant sale is a sensory feast of shape and scent that almost overwhelms shoppers each May. A local rite of spring, this year’s sale, chaired by Grantham Garden Club (GGC) member and Eastman resident Janie Clark, will take place on Saturday, May 14, with the doors of […]

Text And Photos By Steve Handley On September 27, 2015, there was a lunar eclipse that was viewed by probably millions of people fortunate to be under clear skies—and photographed by many. Several members of the Eastman Photography Interest Club, formed in 2014 under the leadership of Fred Orkin, were among them. A lunar eclipse […]

Text And Photo By Bob Koester Have you ever wanted to witness a total solar eclipse? Is it on your bucket list? It held a prominent place on mine when my wife, Elaine, and I traveled to Baja California to see our first one in 1991. It turned out not to be our last. Since […]

By Judith Platt / Photo Courtesy of Christine Cecchetti Are you looking for something different to do this winter? How about Nordic skating on the longest maintained ice trail in the United States, kicksledding, or attending a pond hockey tournament? On Lake Morey in Fairlee, Vermont, you can skate a 4.5-mile trail that is open […]

By Craig McArt / Photo By Ebba McArt / Illustration By Craig McArt Most winters, the ice on Eastman Lake is covered with snow by the time it’s thick enough to walk on. Occasionally, though, the surface can be clear and smooth. That’s when I’ll rig up my iceboat for some cold, fast sailing. How […]

By Aaron Jenkyn YOUR OWN BACK YARD. Your backyard is a great place to play without needing equipment like skis or snowshoes. Just bundle up and head outside. Have a snowball fight, make snow angels, shovel the walkway, build a snowman! Do you have woods in your backyard? Play a game of hide and seek […]